Photographic-printing machine



J. D. MUIR PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 14, 1923 II! II" llll INVENTO ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES JAMES D. MUIR, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,

ASSIGIIOR TO EASTMAN KODAK COM- PANY, OF ROCHESTER-{13B 31 YORK, A. GQR-FOBATION OF NEW YORK.

.PHOTOGRATPE-IIG-ZPRINTING MACHINE.

Application filed. February 14, 1923.

ToaZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known thatI, JAMES D. Morn, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic-Printing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to photography, and particularly to photographic printing machines. One object of my invention is to provide a means for holding a mask, negative and printing paper in the desired relation during the printing operation. Another object is to provide a means for rapidly changing the mask, negative and printing paper. Another object is to provide a means for making a margin on prints, and toa means for changing the width of the margins. Other objects will appear from the following specification, the novel features being pointed out at the end thereof.

In the drawing, in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a printer built in accordance with and illustrating one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the mask, clamps and margin gauge;

Fig. 3 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section on line IVIV of Fig. 2.

is a section on line III-J11 of Fig.

The printing machine consists of a cabinet I 1 preferably provided with a slanting top 2, in which there is the usual printing panel or glass plate 3. The slanting front 2 is preferably made as a separable part 4 held by hooks 5 in the operative position shown in Fig. 1, and removable for adjusting the printing and pilot lamps which are beneath the panel 3.

A handle 6 is connected to side arms 7, 7 which are slotted at 8, 8 to receive pins 9, 9 carried by the sides 10, 10 of platen 11. Each side 10 is carried by links 12 and 12 pivoted at 13 and 14 to a support 15, and pivoted at 16 and 17 to the side of the platen. Thus a movement of the handle 6 causes the platen 11 to move from an inoperative position to an operative one, being at all times parallel to the panel 3.

There is a numbering stamp 18 and a counter 19 mounted on the top of the platen,

Serial No- 619,008.

which function as the platen is lowered upon the printing paper P.

Coming now to my invention, 1 provide masks 20, here shown as being made of thin sheet metal, having the usual cut-out portion 21. The edges 22 and 23 are adapted to lie against metal strips 24 and 25 which form parts of clamps to be hereinafter described. These parts position the masks, and, in addition there is a small aperture 26 which slides over a pin 27 to further assist in locating the mask and in holding it in position. Aperture 28 is merely for hanging the masks on a pin when not in use, or they may be held in slot 29 in the front of the cabinet 1.

Strip 25 is spaced from the cabinet except at the ends 30 where screws 31 fasten it in place. This member forms one-half of a hinge, the movable member of which 32 is carried by pintle 33 and spring pressed by a spring 34 toward the printing panel 3. I preferably cut away portions 35 of the edge and bevel the edges remaining at 36 (Fig. 3) to assist in securing firm contact when holding a negative or film F in position. If the film is of the strip variety it may be passed beneath bar 25 (Fig. 4) so that the separate exposures may be printed from without cutting the strip. Plate 24 differs from 25 in being flat on the cabinet top, being held by screws 37, and as the clamping member, hinge, pintle and spring are the same as those above described, the same reference characters are used.

In order to obtain a margin on the print, and to vary the size of the margin, I provide a margin gauge plate 40 on each clamp member. This consists of a flat piece of metal slotted at 41 and having a straight edge 42, being cut away at 43, for clearance of the clamp operating handles 44. These plates may slide about the pins 45 extend ing through the slots 41, and may be clamped in any desired position by the thumb nuts 46. A scale 47 may be added to the clamp blade to facilitate the proper po sitioning of the margin gauge.

The operation of my printer is as follows: Selecting a suitable mask 20, the operator slides it against plates 24 and 25 at the same time holding the clamping members raised by depressing handles 44. This, depressing the two handles simultaneously, can be easily done with one hand, When the pin 27 projects through aperture 28 the mask is properly located. The gauge plates 40 can then be adjusted to the desired marking on scales L7 and fastened in )osition by the thumb nuts 46. A negative i is then placed over mask 20 with the desired portion over the cut-out portion 21, and a portion of the film may be held by one or both clamping members 32, the narrow beveled portions 86 pressed by springs 34:, insuring a firm grip on that portion of the film held by the clamp. The printing paper P is placed with the edges to the left and bottom contacting with the straight edges 42 of the gauge plates 40. The paper may be manually retained in this position by a corner C until the platen 11 is lowered into operative position by the handle 6.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a photographic printer, the com bination with a hinged negative clamping member, of a margin gauge carried by the hinged member, and a clamping device for retaining the margin gauge in a selected position thereon.

2. In a photographic printer, the combination with a hinged negative holding clamp, a plurality of pins extending up from the negative holding clamp, a slotted gauge plate, the pins passing through the slots, and means for fastening the gauge plate in a selected position upon the negative holding clamp.

In a photographic printer, the combination with a clamping member, of a margin gauge mounted thereon, a slidable connection between the margin gauge and the clamping member, a scale mounted on one of the above mentioned parts whereby the" relative position of the two parts can be ascertained, and a clamping device for retaining the margin gauge at the desired setting.

at. In a photographic printer, the combination with a base plate, of a clamping member hinged thereto, projections extending up from the clamping member, a margin gauge consisting of a metal plate having angularly disposed slots engaging the projections of the clamping member, whereby the gauge may he slid upon the projections to vary the position of the gauge relative to the clamping member.

Signed at Rochester, New York, this 9th day of February 1923.

JAMES D. MUIR. 

